Cayman Tai

The placing record softens the picture a little. Ten places from 22 races means Cayman Tai is often in the mix, finishing second or third with reasonable regularity — it is a horse that competes rather than one that simply makes up the numbers. Recent form bears that out: two second-place finishes in the last six races suggest there is still ability here, even if the winning thread has gone cold. The trouble is that Cayman Tai has been pitched almost exclusively into Class 4 races — a solid mid-tier level — and has not managed a single win from nine attempts there. Not one. That is the kind of record that quietly raises questions about whether the horse is being asked to do something slightly beyond what it can deliver on a consistent basis.

The partnership with jockey Joe Leavy is the most regular combination in the saddle, but even there the numbers are honest rather than encouraging: 1 win from 10 races together, a 10% win rate. Behind them both is trainer Richard Hannon, whose yard at Herridge in Wiltshire has been in fine form this season — 109 winners is a serious tally, and Hannon is one of the sharper operators in the training ranks. That context matters: this is not a struggling yard sending out a struggling horse. The infrastructure is there. Cayman Tai simply has not found the moment to take advantage of it.

Raced just yesterday, which means Cayman Tai is very much an active part of someone's plans. Whether that stubbornly elusive second win is coming remains the question. Ffos Las came good once. Perhaps it will again.